Every once in awhile I'm reminded that there really is a significant gap between age 28 and age 14. I feel almost like I'm twice as old as they are... (yes, that was a joke - no need to point anything out in the comments section).
Generally this age gap is felt during the times when they're all laughing about something I don't think is funny, or stressing out about clothes. You know, general issues of interests.
The gap between myself and the other teachers is most often a gap in knowledge. They'll sing snatches of songs and look at me expectantly, or drop a name or something, and then laugh that I have no clue what they're talking about.
But today there was a bit of a switch in gap types. I was teaching my 8th grade Algebra class, and we got to talking about celebrities who shared our birthdays (yes, this is very relevant to solving two-placeholder problems by substitution). The only celebrity I know of who shares my birthday is Amy, and I didn't expect their knowledge of NH politics to extend very far. So instead I dropped the bombshell that my Dad shares a birthday (the exact day, too!) with Harrison Ford.
"Who's Harrison Ford?" one of my students asked. I looked at her dumbfounded. I appealed to the other for help. "Do you know who Harrison Ford is?" I asked. "Wasn't he a president?" he responded. "I know there was a president named Ford."
WHA.... ??? Neither one of them knew who Harrison Ford was!!! Oy vay. I brought up Indiana Jones and Hans Solo, and at least one of them looked at me with comprehension. The other turned back to her folder covered with the names of ridiculous 16 year old tv stars, and moved on.
Truly I feel twice as old as they are today. Thank goodness...
4 comments:
things that make me shake my head... this!
Poor children. No knowledge of who Harrison Ford is? They are truly depraved. Or is it 'deprived?' Hmmm. I suppose I shouldn't talk, because at their age, I was quite the opposite- TOO obsessed with Harrison Ford. Ha ha- PRESIDENT? Hmmm- maybe they were thinking of the movie Airforce One where he PLAYS the president...
I think this is symptomatic of not just a growing age gap, but also a growing diversification of American culture, which leads to fewer commonalities between us and any cross section of America. At least this is my working hypothesis, based on my classroom observations. Aside from such cultural lodestones as Napoleon Dynamite, I think there are so many different actors and films out there now that were students themselves to make a list of all the films they have seen and actors they know, their own lists would have significant differences from each other.
Not knowing who Harrison Ford is is like not knowing who...well I can't think of a good simile, but HELLO! He's a Very Famous Movie Star! Don't worry--not all teenagers are pop culturally ignorant.
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